A Different View of Chancellorsville

Sometimes, the coolest things I see on the battlefields have nothing to do with the Civil War. Nature is always up for offering some wonder. The challenge, of course, is leaving ourselves open to seeing it.

Today, I hit the Chancellorsville battlefield to take some pictures for a new book Kris and I are working on. I always love the chance to photograph a battlefield, not least of all because it’s a great way to look at the world up close as well as from afar. Here are just a couple of the surprises I found.

I’ve written about the intersection of history and nature in our parks before (here during a hike along Lee Drive in Fredericksburg and here in conversation with a friend who’s a natural resources professional for the NPS). Our battlefields are habitats for some incredible flora and fauna—many of which are as besieged by human encroachment brought on by development as the battlefields themselves.

Most of all, though, they offer us a chance to be reminded what a beautiful place the world can be.